so that "interests" page, are they looking to be impressed?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>i mean, are they looking for kids who read "scientific frontier" all the time or something?</p>

<p>because i want to put harry potter down as one of my books but i know a lot of people are less than impressed with that (i know for the test to get into honors english, for example, if you wrote about harry potter, you were automatically rejected from the class, but that might just be that teacher in my school)</p>

<p>i really do love hp. tres amusant. and it's truthful. </p>

<p>though not exactly impressive. i have other books ("great gatsby," etc) but still.</p>

<p>ALSO, what if you don't read any magazines?? because i really don't. not regularly, anyway.</p>

2

<p>.. I wrote Harry Potter on mine.. <em>shrug</em> I was truthful, I had some "thoughtful, classical, "great books," " type literature that I really enjoyed and I also had the purely for fun books.</p>

<p>Also, I figured wouldn't they expect some popular literature? I'm sure most people do read books purely for entertainment (not for literary merit) and that Columbia realizes it.</p>

3

<p>yeah, i also read "da vinci code" just because everyone else read it. </p>

<p>terrible book, but i DID read it. and it didn't say "best books you read" just "books you read"</p>

4

<p>List it; they want a diverse campus full of students with varying interests.</p>

5

<p>No, they aren't looking to be impressed by who can kiss up and list the snobbiest books, magazines, etc. They're trying to get a sense of who you are, and it is best to answer it honestly.</p>

6

<p>They had a character limit on each box, so you were forced to list the best books you read that year. I could only fit 4.</p>

7

<p>^ Your books must have had some pretty long titles, because I think I fit about eight. </p>

<p>I put Postsecret on my list of websites XD
on a random note about Harry Potter.. my AP English teacher has never read any of the HP books on purpose and alawys makes that known to his class, so my friend has written every essay assigned so far about Harry Potter and contrasting the HP books with the books we're assigned to read XP I think she's gotten A+'s on all of them...</p>

8

<p>I put the Onion as one of my newspapers.</p>

9

<p>ahaha the onion is great</p>

10

<p>omg the Onion is hilarious... dang I should have put it too xP hah</p>

11

<p>heh, i used theonion.com too.</p>

12

<p>The Onion was the only publication I put on haha.</p>

13

<p>I just looked to see which books I had lying on my desk =P They were a mix of classicy literature books I enjoy, modern novels, some poetry which does rather reflect my interests so it's ok. Well I guess it might depend on what your interests are and what you're applying for. I wrote my app on my interest in literature, so it made more sens for me to have Austen and Illiad on my list than if you're an...engineering applicant. I think putting Harry Potter in your list can't hurt, especially if you have space to put 5-8 books. They'd recognise that Harry Potter should be on everyone's list anyway =P</p>

14

<p>I guess its out of my hands anyway....I'm getting ready for a worry free four months.</p>